A vacant apartment building, above, on Park Street in Waterville is one of two that the First Church of Waterville, in background, would like to demolish to increase parking and provide a church entrance that is accessible to those with handicaps. City councilors voted Tuesday night to reject a zoning change necessary to move forward with the project, which has been opposed by neighbors. Anna Chadwick/Morning Sentinel file

WATERVILLE — The City Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to reject the First Church of Waterville’s request to rezone its property on Park Street so the church can tear down two vacant buildings, expand its parking lot and build a ramp.

Instead, councilors recommend the church work with the city solicitor to reconstruct the contract zone the property is in to meet the needs of both the church and its neighbors.

Councilors must take two votes to finalize the decision and could take a second vote next month.

The church is asking the council to rezone 3, 5 and 7 Park St. from Contract Zoned District Commercial-A to Residential-D. But councilors said they want to protect the neighbors’ interests and suggested a restructured contract zone be developed that addresses parking, egress and buffers.

The church’s lawyer, James Monteleone, however, said not rezoning puts a substantial burden on the church.

“To impose new conditions feels arbitrary,” he said.

The Planning Board voted unanimously Oct. 23 against recommending the council rezone the property, with members saying they wanted to allow the church property’s current contract zone to be restructured. Such a change would reflect the needs of an abutting property owner who bought his home on neighboring Park Place after the church property was rezoned in 2020, they said.

Last year, church officials asked the City Council to rezone the parcels so the church could demolish two vacant apartment buildings and expand the parking lot. The city’s zoning ordinance prohibits parking lots in the current zone.

Church officials at the time said the congregation had grown substantially and that’s why they need more parking. But since then they have been touting the need to build a ramp — accessible to those with handicaps — at the back of the church. They said the church’s front ramp is difficult for some to get to and use. Building a rear ramp would require removal of buildings, they said.

Bobby Dombroski told planners Oct. 23 that he bought his abutting property in 2021 after the zone was changed. He said the neighborhood has character, and he and his wife did not buy their house with the expectation it would be next to a large parking lot. Adding more cars seems antithetical to the comprehensive plan, which aims to make the neighborhood more livable, Dombroski said.

Rafael Scheck, another neighbor, argued that the church must have known about the zoning restrictions when it bought the property.